“We will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.”
To understand and conserve wildlife on Earth, we must generate interest in nature within future generations, while also providing young scientists and professionals with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to conserve it. I work to accomplish these goals through education at multiple levels. I teach students at the collegiate level to foster student interest, provide foundational knowledge, and cultivate critical thinking skills. I also teach professional conservation practitioners from state and federal agencies the analytical skills necessary to perform risk assessments for imperiled species. Last, I engage in outreach at multiple scales to educate and increase interest in nature among the public. By fostering a strong conservation ethic through education, I believe that teaching is one of my strongest tools to not only help better understand biodiversity on Earth, but also to conserve it. On this page, you can read about educational formats I use to teach ecology and conservation biology.
Tropical Ecology
In 2017, I worked as a Resident Professor for the Organization for
Tropical Studies in Costa Rica, where I co-taught an undergraduate
study-abroad course in tropical ecology. The course – Tropical Biology
on a Changing Planet – was offered through Organization for Tropical
Studies and accredited by Duke University. During a semester, the
students and faculty visited six tropical forest biomes in Costa Rica
and Panama, during which they become experts in ecology, environmental
policy, and research methods in the diverse tropical ecosystems. They
also become proficient in Spanish language and Costa Rican culture
through classes at the Costa Rican Language Academy and by hanging out
with all the great Costa Ricans at the field sites. Please contact me if
you are interested in studying tropical biology in Costa Rica.
Vertebrate Ecology and Herpetology
I have taught laboratory and field courses in both Vertebrate Biodiversity and Herpetology at Auburn University. Courses introduced students to natural history, diversity, taxonomy, and anatomy of vertebrates in the southeastern United States, but herpetology provided an exhaustive focus strictly on amphibians and reptiles. Both courses included extensive field components with numerous field trips, including weekend-long experiences. The courses concluded with students conducting independent or group research projects on a species of interest, and students gave presentations on the projects.
I co-taught “SSA200 - Strategic Use of Data for Species Status Assessments”, a two-day crash-course in wildlife population statistics, modeling, and population projections for USFWS biologists involved in Species Status Assessments. All course materials (lectures, activities, web applications, and other information) can be found on the course website.